The singer Linda Ronstadt said nobody came close to: “There’s no one in her league”
One of the best things that any budding artist can do is ensure that they are listening to music that extends beyond just the kind of music that they make. When you listen to the greats such as Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and Linda Ronstadt, while they are all massively respected in their chosen fields, they managed to get so good at what they did because they didn’t restrict themselves.
The Beatles were arguably one of the earliest bands to bend musical styles and genres to suit the mainstream. We saw this most prominently when the band travelled to India and started using Indian instruments and influences in their music. Doing so created a new style of pop and showed artists that they didn’t need to restrict themselves.
XTC guitarist Andy Partridge once spoke about the significance of The Beatles’ visit to India and how it changed how people viewed music. “George Harrison, on his own, opened up India to England,” he said. “The man brings back a sitar and flirts with sitar lessons, and all of a sudden, India means things to people […] Single-handedly, George Harrison brought India to English consciousness. In a non-colonial and non-judgmental kind of way.”
Led Zeppelin did something similar with their music. When Jimmy Page gathered the members of his band together, he decided that he wanted to create a sound that wasn’t just infused with rock but also had plenty of other styles. This is why when you listen to Led Zeppelin, you’re met with a barrage of different styles, including acoustic music, blues, rock, R&B, and much more.
Why is it so important to take influence from outside your genre? Simply put, if you only listen to the kind of music you want to make, you risk becoming a carbon copy of artists that already exist. When you let outside influences play a part in the creative process, you can still create a style of music that is true to what you love, but with unique elements that other artists might not have thought out. You will also likely learn a great deal from these outside influences.
Linda Ronstadt can attest to this, as while there were plenty of artists she admired within her own genre, she admitted that one of her biggest influences was Maria Callas. Callas was an American Soprano who performed in many operas throughout her life and was considered one of the greatest voices in the world. While a lot of people might not see an overlap between opera and rock music, Ronstadt did, and she used what she learnt from Callas in everything she recorded.
“There’s no one in her league. That’s it. Period,” said Ronstadt when discussing the operatic influence. “I learn more… about singing rock n roll from listening to Maria Callas records than I ever would from listening to pop music for a month of Sundays… She’s the greatest chick singer ever.”
Many creatives could take a page out of Ronstadt’s book here. By listening to various styles of music, you open yourself up to learn more than you ever would strictly staying within your own genre.
